Open AccessMagnetic fields and cancer: animal and cellular evidence--an overview.
Author(s) -
Bo Holmberg
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
environmental health perspectives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.257
H-Index - 282
eISSN - 1552-9924
pISSN - 0091-6765
DOI - 10.1289/ehp.95103s263
Subject(s) - dmba , tumor promotion , melatonin , carcinogen , biology , cancer research , cell growth , cell , cancer , endocrinology , medicine , carcinogenesis , chemistry , biochemistry
A few animal studies on the possible carcinogenic effect of magnetic fields have been published. They have been designed to reveal a possible tumor promotion obtained by applying continuous or pulsed alternating fields at flux densities varying between 0.5 microT and 30 mT on mice or rats initiated with different initiators. One study with 2 mT applied on DMBA-initiated mice may suggest a copromotive effect together with the promoter TPA. Another study on rats suggests an inhibitory effect by a magnetic field on rat liver foci formation, induced with DENA. Cell studies show that magnetic fields at some frequencies, amplitudes, and wave forms interact with biological systems. Thus effects have been seen, e.g., on enzymes related to growth regulation, on calcium balance in the cell, on gene expression, and on pineal metabolism and its excretion of the oncostatic melatonin. Cellular and physiologic studies thus suggest effects that may be related to cell multiplication and tumor promotion.